Dialed In/Style Notes: Cartier Santos

The Cartier Santos watch was first created as a one-off for celebrated aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Brazilian bon vivant and adventurer specialized in dirigibles, and he is also acknowledged as among the very first to pilot a heavier-than-air machine. In 1901 Santos-Dumont became a household name when he flew a powered dirigible around the Eiffel Tower. Such was his obsession with flight that he was known for giving "aerial dinners," for which he had a set of table and chairs made to elevate guests six feet off the ground.

Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian dandy and aviation pioneer.

In 1904, Louis Cartier, the grandson of the Maison's original founder, created a watch engineered for his aviator friend's way of life. Instead of fumbling for a pocket watch—then the norm—Santos-Dumont could glance at his wrist to track flight time without having to take his hands off the controls of his aircraft. At the time, this was a revolutionary concept, one that established an entirely new and convenient way of keeping time.

Photograph of Alberto Santos-Dumont aboard his airplane N°15, by Paul Tissandier, 1907.

The Santos, then, was born out of a need not for style, but for function. Yet Cartier never did anything without style and modernity front of mind. And the Santos had it in spades. Its striking rounded-square shape, inspired by Louis Cartier's search for streamlined designs, made it instantly iconic. Visible screws on the bezel gave a deliberately industrial feel to its case, lending it an "Art Deco" feel a good 20 years before the term was even coined. On the heels of the Santos, which was first offered to the public in 1911, a steady flow of modernist designs—the Tonneau (1906), the Tortue (1912), and the Tank (1917) among them—cemented Cartier's position as a pre-eminent beacon of modernist luxury.

The secret to lasting watch design, as Cartier well knows, is being of the moment, but also simple and elegant enough to transcend the ages. The modern Santos, along with all its variants, remains remarkably true to the original design, which makes it both a lasting icon and something eminently suited to being worn with the full range of clothing options available to men now, from denim and leather to the cocooning comforts of cashmere.

Santos wristwatch, Cartier Paris, 1915.

At Esquire, we are proud to embrace the gamut of contemporary style, all the way from jeans to black tie. The Santos fits in everywhere on that spectrum. That's because, although the rules of male style have changed immeasurably over the past 20 or so years, that has only made men more interested in merging comfort with elevated style. And as how we think about clothes has become more casual, less stuffy, going all out and seriously dressing up has evolved into a joyful occasion rather than a daily chore. A good wristwatch is more than ever the crowning glory, telegraphing taste in a subtle but unmistakable way.

There's really only one rule to have in the back of your mind: If you're going to wear a Santos, you'll need to bring your A game with the remainder of your attire. That does not mean you have to be dressed to the nines at all times—but it does mean thinking about the materials and the finishing of what you wear.

Cartier's current momentum owes much to the surging popularity of mini watches, which has put a spotlight on the brand's flair for compact, style-forward design. Case in point: the striking new small-size Santos that recently debuted in steel, yellow gold, or a combination of the two. And even in case dimensions of just 34.5mm x 27mm, that iconic square shape guarantees that the Santos will be unmistakable across a meeting or dinner table.

There was a time, a few decades ago, when style-interested men would try to match their watch strap to their shoe leather and their belt, or pair cufflinks with a steel watch. It was a lot of effort. That said, a watch as stylish as a Santos should never be an afterthought, something you slap on your wrist when your look is already complete. The truth, we like to think, lies somewhere in between. Be mindful of the materials, the dial color, the accents, the strap—and enjoy them.